


Winter

by AceYosuke



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Haley Appreciation Hour, Not super angsty, Other, kinda???, most of the characters have small roles, the enbie farmer is basically just me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-12
Packaged: 2019-06-26 08:56:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,335
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15659940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AceYosuke/pseuds/AceYosuke
Summary: Haley despised winter.





	Winter

Haley despised winter. After getting married and spending time on the farm, she’d at least learned some of the joys of fall; the warm colors, the wide field of sunflowers, snuggling beneath the warm covers with her partner as Blessing laid on top of them. 

Winter didn’t have any positives in her eyes however. Everything but the pine trees were left dead or barren and the near constant snowfall left her with cold-nipped fingertips and wet hair when she went to visit Emily. Connor would become strangely restless, fewer plants to care for and a rush to re-arrange the animals before the new season began. While not fond of the sour smell they’d tease her with after a day on the docks before stumbling, giggling into the shower, it was much preferable to the mining expeditions. Fishing, farming, getting resources, or running errands for the other villagers would usually take most of the day, Connor would return at most around eight o’clock, slightly winded but face shining with pride. But mining, even up in the old mountains that they’d traversed long before they were together, left Haley watching the sun disappear over the horizon. She had a feeling Connor believes she falls asleep long before they returned around midnight, dropping their pack with a series of heavy clunks, carefully removing their dirty boots outside the door, dirty bandages just barely visible as they slip under the sheets. 

They never talked about it after. Maybe that was a problem in their relationship. Haley would simply let them sleep in the next morning, and when they came to the kitchen they took breakfast with a tired but grateful smile, and she tried to not to pay attention to the slight wince in Connor’s step. The days slipped away without incident, chores were done, and so was married life. 

Today was different. Connor had woken up early, giving her a soft kiss, and whispered, “I’m heading out to the desert today, I won’t be back until late. Love you.”

That was fine. She knew from Emily going into long monologues about her pen-pal that the desert was a day’s trip out from the valley, even fishing or shopping out there resulted in dusk returns. So she’d gone through the motions, feeding the animals and cleaning the house. When that was done she visited her sister. And then she went to bed.

Connor still wasn’t back. Despite the tension in her limbs and her racing mind, Haley’s eyes became heavy as the clock ticked into the early morning. No rest came, every small noise sounding like footfalls and the freezing wind howling past the window and down the chimney.

She’d been staring at the ceiling for a while when Blessing had shot up on the end of the bed, ears perked, and right as she’d pulled on her slippers a sharp knock was heard at the door. Haley quickly pulled an old, heavy coat around her shoulders and dashed to the door.

“Connor, baby, you gotta tell me if you're gonna be out at all hours like this,” She sighed as she pulled the door open, “You know how lone-“

It wasn’t Connor on the step. Instead it was Marnie, terrifyingly not exuding her warm, mother hen air. Her russet brown hair was sloppy and fly-away, face slightly red and spotty, and the wetness in her eyes left a chill in Haley’s stomach. Both women were silent, and somewhere the part of her mind that wasn’t panicking half remembers a science lesson about how snow absorbs sound.

“S-Shane…” Marnie started, “He was out early this morning. And he…”

“Where’s Connor.” Haley didn’t want a story. She wanted an answer. The look in Marnie’s eyes was close to pity, and if this had been a year ago she’d snap at her.

“Hospital.”

It felt like the world was ripped from under her. Like a rollercoaster she’d ridden on with Emily when they were small, stomach stuck behind on the drop, moving too fast to see an end. She vaguely registered Marnie’s comforting hands on her arm, trying to usher her into the house.

She ran.

The snow had soaked through her slippers and socks by the time she got into town, slipping across the cobblestone. She practically fell into the cold metal door as she swung it open, disinfectant sweetness making her eyes tear up. 

She looked around. Harvey was nowhere to be seen, and two figures other than herself occupied the cool blue of the room. One was Shane, looking more disheveled than usual, dark rings under his eyes, clutching an aluminum can of sparkling water in a white-knuckled grip. The other was Pam, guessing from Emily’s description of her and the few times she’d seen her in town; her head was bowed, rushed, hushed prayers coming from her lips. She opted to sit on Shane’s other side. He didn’t look at her, and she was thankful for it.

But soon the silence got too much, the ticking clock too much and too little. 

“Shane, what happened?” Haley’s voice was hoarse and it felt like her lips had frozen together. He gave a heavy, weary sigh.

“I only know everything since they came back into town. I couldn’t sleep so I took a walk. That’s when Pam pulled up with the bus, and she started yelling, asking for me to come help her.” He took a swig of his drink. “Said she’d been waiting for Connor and had gotten worried, so she was talking to the shop owner in the desert, when this figure came in. Connor… Connor got hurt in the old Skeleton Caves. They’d practically passed out when Pam got back to the valley; I just helped her carry them here.” 

She felt numb. “How- how bad is it?”

He shrugs. It’s not an apathetic gesture, just a statement. Nothing more passed between them. 

Eventually, finally, the door opens and Harvey stepped out, wiping sweat from his face. His eyes widen in surprise as he looks out into their little group, and for the first time she considered how she looked, hair a damp, tangled mess, tightly wound in the thick coat and sitting in puddle of melted snow. She didn’t care. 

Her legs wobbled as she stood. Harvey managed to beat her to her question.

“They’ll be fine.”

Some of the tension in the room lifted, some of the feeling returning to her body. Harvey looked her in the face, sympathetic and exhausted.

“They’re still a bit out of it, but,” He kinda nodded towards doorway, “would you like to come in and see them?”

She nodded, legs shaking as she followed him.

Connor looked almost tiny in the hospital bed, so different from their shared bed at home. Their dyed-purple hair was dark with dampness, a wide bandage wrapped around their forehead with a pink-tinged cotton ball peeking out. Two arms were crossed limply over their chest (which was moving, thank Yoba), but one was wrapped in a thick cast, and the exposed fingers were covered in dark bruises. The more Haley looked, it seemed like bruises manifested instantly; on shoulders, on collarbones like hateful hickies, and a great monstrosity bloomed from the jaw to the cheek. She kept scanning, searching, until she realized she was being watched as well. Two soft blue eyes peeked from beneath heavy lids, dazed but with the slightest guilty smile. Everything hit her all at once- the cold, the fear, the relief, the tenseness of bracing for the worst because you know it’s the most realistic all snapping like a wire. 

Despite it all Haley’s head was buried with care into Connor’s chest. Sobs came like coughs, deep from her throat like a retch, and she wasn’t aware of how Harvey existed quietly, most likely to explain the situation to and dismiss the group in the waiting room. There was just the ache spreading from her chest to her limbs and a familiar hand softly playing with her hair.

**Author's Note:**

> This was gonna be longer but like I actually like the way it ends here so.
> 
> Don't forget to like the fic, subscribe to the fic, and I'll see you later recruits.


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